Many are caught up in the dilemma of Cat 5e vs Cat 6, when purchasing cables, or when considering an upgrade. What is the difference between Cat5e and Cat6? Is Cat6 really the need of the hour? Is Cat5e sufficient, or should I upgrade for better performance, a few of the most common answers techies hear each day.
To start with, a quick Cat 5e vs Cat 6 analysis will reveal the basic difference between Cat5e and Cat6. The difference is with performance in transmission and enhancement of bandwidth from 100Mhz in 5e, to 200 Mhz in 6. Having that said, the advantages include reduce insertion loss, near end crosstalk (NEXT), return loss and equal level far end cross talk (ELFEXT). Owing to this, signal to noise ration is better, which means higher reliability for current and future applications.
What does this mean to a residential user? Yes, when doing Cat 5e vs Cat 6 comparison, Cat6 fairs better any day. Does this mean, one should upgrade right away? Not really! If you are looking to do networking, or upgrading, then yes, going with Cat6 is ideal. Only because Cat6 is released, you don’t need to change your cables.
Why are we doing a Cat 5e vs Cat 6 in the first place? To know what’s better? Not really, we would like to understand the difference, to make an informed decision. Generally, cabling is done behind the walls, with penetrations and internal tubes for the cables. Alternatively, external plastic cabins are used for wiring. In both scenarios, changing the cables will mean a lot of expense. Especially with internal cables, the cost is even more. So, when going for an upgrade, or new installation, going with the latest is best. This means, you don’t need to do it all over again, when you want to upgrade at a later date, for high performing gadgets of future. So, if you are only intending to upgrade to this new cable, then it’s not needed.
For now, not many applications really use the capacity of a 5e cable, and cat6 might never even be exploited for residential purposes. Though this is common, it can be exploited at times, when applications call for more bandwidth, or for sharing the bandwidth. Fiber cables being twice costly as cat6, users are only left with Cat 5e vs Cat 6 as options. In that line, Cat6 fairs better and can be chosen during installation or upgrade, however, most go with cat5e. Even organizations go with cat5, considering they’re sufficient, available in many colors, making cabling easier. On the other hand, people who go with cat6, only have one thing to tell – it’s the best out there for now! If you are looking at value for money and really intend to know if upgrade is needed, then you don’t. On the other hand, if you are upgrading and just looking at determining if cat6 is a must, it’s not, but better. The choice vests with the comfort of the user, since for now, cat6′s potential cannot be realized and might be in the near future.